The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Eight Nights of Lights: A Celebration of Hanukkah by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Hilli Kushnir Harper (imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy at Bookshop.org Nine small candle-shaped paper booklets are nestled into a menorah-shaped holder in a large folder, in this Hanukkah toy/story. The Shammash booklet contains the lyrics to the traditional song "Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah" and shows a diverse group of celebrating children. Other candle booklets are labeled "Night 1" and so on, meant to be read in order. The front of each booklet shows an unlit wick; the back shows a candle aflame; if one story is read each night of Hanukkah, it can then be flipped over to light the menorah. The cover includes directions and a brief history of the holiday. Each booklet contains a short story about Lena, a biracial Jewish girl who has a white father and a brown Latine mother. She celebrates various aspects of the holiday w

Eve and Adam and Their Very First Day by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Irina Augustinovich Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Linda Elovitz Marshall Buy at Bookshop.org On her very first day in the Garden of Eden, Eve (who is strong and inquisitive and not afraid of anything), meets Adam, who was made first and has a beautiful smile. Together, they wander the Garden giving names to things. Adam gives simple names. Eve prefers more imaginative ones. However, Day doesn’t last forever. The sun goes down. Night comes. Eve and Adam are nervous. It’s dark. They are new and have never seen night before. But they have faith and, together, they make it through. Kimmelman’s beautiful, lyrical language combines with Irina Augustinovich’s spectacularly sensitive illustrations to give readers a creative telling of Eve and Adam’s first day. The two have golden skin and wavy black hair, which can be interpreted as white, Asian, or Latinx. Ev

A Book About Bupkes by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Roxana de Rond Kar-Ben Publishing, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rebecca Klempner Buy at Bookshop.org Leslie Kimmelman begins A Book About Bupkes with a brief explanation of the Yiddish word "bupkes." However, rather than delving into the usually negative connotation of this term (meaning "nothing"), she begs us to ask the question, "Where did everything go?" Sometimes, a place or a container is empty because their contents were relocated to a place where they can serve an important purpose. A bowl of chicken soup, for example, empties as its contents fill the belly of a patient. In addition to this heart-warming message, Kimmelman's joyful tone and delightful diction won me over. There are a couple of pages that are so well-written, I just sat with them a moment to enjoy the language. Roxana de Rond's playful art charmed me and suited the goofy tone of the book. I appreciated that t

How to Be a Mensch by A. Monster by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Sarah Aronson Buy at Bookshop.org In this delightful and perky picture book directed to young readers and families, the main character and narrator, A. Monster, gives readers direct advice for how to be a mensch. The humorous text speaks directly to the reader. "It's hard to believe, but some people are afraid of monsters. It's true that monsters can look scary. But most of us are kind and helpful. Monsters can even be mensches!" I love funny books! Our kids deserve to laugh—even as they grapple with challenges of the world. On each spread, readers will love the monster-specific examples (like not staring, with one eye or five) as well as general concepts, like sharing and caring and preparing for Shabbat. Yoshikawa’s illustrations amp up the humor. Young readers are going to love checking ou

 Mr. Mintz's Blintzes by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Esther Hernando Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Linda Elovitz Marshall   Buy at Bookshop.org Cool, young Mr. Mintz is exactly the kind of neighbor anyone would want. He’s friendly, remembers birthdays, helps shovel snow, and is an amazing cook who prepares food for all the neighbors. And every Shavuot, Mr. Mintz makes the world’s best blintzes…until the day that – Oops! Mr. Mintz slips and (gasp!) is out of commission. So, guess what the neighbors do? This is a heartwarming story about a kindly neighbor who fills the world with chesed , augmented by Esther Hernando’s adorable, cartoon-like illustrations that depict a diverse group of neighbors. It's accessible and easy to read, with delightful language that begs to be read aloud over and over. It's like a mash-up of A Sick Day for Amos McGee and Grandma Rose's Magic . Many Jewish values are contained in thi

The Eight Knights of Hanukkah by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Galia Bernstein Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Laurie Adler   Buy at Bookshop.org My calendar tells me that it’s time to start thinking about Hanukkah. The Eight Knights of Hanukkah , by established author Leslie Kimmelman and illustrator Galia Bernstein, is an entertaining story and a perfect holiday refresher for children from kindergarten through third grade. The story begins in the Renaissance-style kingdom of Lady Sadie. It’s the last night of Hanukkah, and the entire village is preparing for a gala celebration. But alas! A dastardly dragon named Dreadful is roaming the countryside and foiling the party preparations. Oh no! Fair maiden Lady Saidy calls upon the Eight Knights of Hanukkah to “fix things with some deeds of awesome kindness and stupendous bravery” and save the day. Along the way the diverse group of knights replace a scorched dreidel, peel potatoes for latkes, and do a variety of mitzvot before vanqu

Worse and Worse on Noah's Ark by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Vivian Mineker Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel J. Fremmer There is no more perfect Biblical story for these times than that of Noah’s Ark. Leslie Kimmelman’s take on it, Worse and Worse on Noah’s Ark , is perfect for sharing with stir-crazy kids who won’t stop arguing and kvetching, just like the creatures (human and otherwise) aboard the ark. Its message is not subtle - working together and taking care of each other can improve even the worst situation - but Kimmelman delivers it with charm. Kimmelman also sneaks another lesson about Jewish values into Worse and Worse . When the colorful scarlet macaws and peacocks make fun of the merely dichromatic penguins and zebras, Noah gently points out that, “We’re all God’s creatures… we’re all equally beautiful in God’s eyes.” Kimmelman also brings out the aspect of predators and prey being stuck together on board the ark, something I, at least, had neve

You're the Cheese in My Blintz by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki Category: Board Book Reviewer: Kathy Bloomfield Using lilting, rhyming verse, this delightful board book conveys what is in every parent’s heart – the depth of love they have for their baby: “In my blintz, you’re the cheese./To my heart, you’re the keys./ You’re the joy of each Shabbat./ You’re the soup in my pot./You’re the hip in my hooray/…the sweet peace of every day…” and so on. Most pages depict a single parent and child enjoying some activity together, e.g. a picnic of blintzes and strawberries, a Shabbat dinner, dancing around the room. The parents and children depicted represent a multicultural, ethnic mix as well as a range of Jewish observance, which is lovely and rare to see in books for a Jewish audience. The illustrations are charming, using a muted color palette with simple expressions to represent joy, wonder, peace and more. This is a wonderful title for new parents.